"This has been a difficult decision to make, and one which I have thought about very carefully. I have now concluded that there is not a sufficient basis for me to instigate either a statutory inquiry or an independent review,” she said.

"I know that this decision will come as a significant disappointment to the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and its supporters."

She added that there would be “very few lessons” to be learned from a probe, as “policing is very different” today.

Hillsborough inquests: 96 victims were unlawfully killed

The 96 Liverpool fans who died in the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed, the inquest's jury has concluded

Two men hold a Justice for the 96 banner as they arrive at the Hillsborough inquests in Warrington

Campaigners have voiced fears that the Government could mount a “disappointing” probe that fails to provide real answers.

Barbara Jackson, the secretary of the Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign, said: “We trust that Amber Rudd will announce the only right decision, namely that there must be an inquiry into what happened at Orgreave and after it. These events are too serious to let them lie.

“However, we have real concerns about what sort of inquiry the home secretary will establish: history is littered with examples of inquiries that have disappointed, such as the ‘establishment led’ Stuart Smith scrutiny into Hillsborough which completely failed to get to the truth, and we are keen to ensure that the home secretary does not make similar mistakes over Orgreave.”

Links have been drawn between the conflict and the Hillsborough tragedy of 1989, which also involved South Yorkshire police.